It has previously been proposed to provide a filler strip to close off the outer portion of grooves in which, for example, rubber blankets can be secured and stretched, see, for example, German Published Patent Application DE-AS 28 04 304. This patent discloses a combination stretching, holding, and filling arrangement for the forme cylinder of a gravure printing press. The filler uses two filler strips which can be clamped in the groove of the cylinder by clamping arrangements. Each one of the filler strips is connected with an end of the printing plate. The combination clamping-and-filler strip arrangement is complex and, hence, results in an expensive overall construction.
Discontinuities in the circumference of printing machine cylinders are highly undesirable, since they cause shocks and vibrations to occur. Bearer rings, mounted for example at the ends of the shafts of the cylinders, become worn, and deformed in the regions where the discontinuities arise, due to shocks which are transmitted to the bearer rings. The noise level of the machine, in operation, is enhanced.